1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the manufacture of semiconductor devices, especially to MOSFET and related devices, and to the structure and formation of source/drain regions in such devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to structures for improved isolation of source/drain regions, particularly useful to isolate storage nodes in a DRAM device, and to methods for forming the same.
2. The Relevant Technology
FIG. 1 shows a cross section of some elements of a typical MOSFET type device. A substrate 12 is typically lightly doped P type, having consequently a positive space charge in the bulk or major part thereof. A gate 14 is separated from substrate 12 by a gate oxide 16. Source/drain regions 18, 20 have been formed in substrate 12 by doping substrate 12 with N-type dopant(s), resulting in a negative space charge within source/drain regions 18, 20. A field oxide isolation region 22 isolates individual electrically active areas of substrate 12.
Certain of the electrical characteristics of a device such as that shown in FIG. 1, as employed in DRAM and similar applications, are illustrated in the circuit diagram of FIG. 2. A bit line 24 contacts one side of a transistor 28 corresponding to a source/drain region such as source/drain region 18 of FIG. 1, while a word line 26 contacts the gate of transistor 28 corresponding to a gate such as gate 14 of FIG. 1. At the other side of transistor 28 is located a storage node N corresponding to a second source/drain region such as source/drain region 20 of FIG. 1, where an electrical charge may be stored to or retrieved from a capacitor 30 connected thereto. A junction between semiconductor regions having opposite space charges acts as a junction diode 32 between storage node N and ground, reducing current leakage from capacitor 30 through storage node N to ground. This junction diode corresponds to the junction between source/drain region 20 and substrate 12 in FIG. 1.
The junction between source/drain region 20 and substrate 12, like essentially every diode, inherently leaks current. In DRAM devices and similar applications, a charge stored at capacitor 30 is typically used to represent a 1-bit, and a lack of charge a 0-bit. The stored charge (or lack thereof) is refreshed at regular intervals. The leakage across junction diode 32 must be small enough so that a charge stored in a capacitor connected to source/drain region 20 will not dissipate between refresh cycles.
As miniaturization of integrated circuits increases, the capacitance of a cell capacitor in a DRAM circuit tends to decrease, making smaller leakage desirable to maintain adequate charge between refresh cycles. If leakage is sufficiently small, the time between refresh cycles can even be increased, resulting in faster responding DRAM with less power consumption. Thus it is desirable to decrease the leakage from a source/drain region to a substrate, particularly a source/drain region functioning as a storage node in a DRAM or similar device.